Effect of potassium fertilization and foliar application of ascorbic acid and citric acid on wheat growth under salt stress conditions

• Fatima Karim Khudair Alasadi1, Zahraa M.Abd Al-Aama2, Hanan Qais AL-Masoudi3, Fatima Radi Kazem 4 Rokan Hazim Hamad5

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 The aim of this study was to investigate the combined effects of potassium fertilizer and foliar spray of a mixture of ascorbic acid and citric acid on some vegetative growth trait of wheat  (Abu-Ghraib variety) under different irrigation water salinities. The experiment adopted a factorial design in CRD with three factors: two potassium added levels (0 and 100 kg ha^-1), three ascorbic acid&citric acid  levels (0, 200, and 400 mgL^-1), and two irrigation salinity levels (1 and 3 dS m^-1). The results showed that both treatments (100 kg ha^-1 of potassium fertilizer and 400 m L ^-1of foliar spray of a mixture acid) significantly increased the investigated vegetative growth variables (plant height, leaf number, leaf area, and dry weight) when applied alone compared with the control. The most significant effect was observed under the interaction of the highest potassium application and the highest ascorbic acid&citric acid concentration, which was superior to the single treatment. More importantly, the three-way interaction showed a synergistic effect in alleviating salt stress. Under high salinity (1 dS m^-1), plants treated with 100 kg K ha^-1 and 400 mg L ^-1ascorbic acid showed the highest values for all growth parameters.

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